The sport of roller hockey has exploded in the recent past. Because of this tremendous expansion of the sport, the business of providing equipment has also exhibited dramatic growth. While the transition from conventional ice hockey equipment was quick to occur for skates (from ice skates to in-line roller skates) and hockey sticks (roller hockey sticks have blades made of durable plastic material rather than wood), the transition from an ice hockey puck to a puck suitable for playing roller hockey has been more difficult. This is due to the tremendous difference between the high coefficient of friction of a paved surface on which roller hockey is generally played and the lower coefficient of friction of an ice-covered surface.
In the sport of roller hockey, roller hockey teams try to put the roller hockey puck into the opposing player's net. This is accomplished by striking the roller hockey puck with a curved stick. The motion of impact sends the puck in the desired direction. The geometry of the puck plays a key role in the direction, speed and accuracy of the shot. Unlike ice hockey pucks, the roller hockey puck has several distinct disadvantages compared to an ice hockey puck. Rather, it does not slide easily over the multitude of roller hockey playing surfaces. This is due to the friction generated by the roller hockey puck as it slides along the surface and the unevenness of current playing fields. Another drawback to current roller hockey pucks designs is that no consideration was given to the aerodynamic properties or flight characteristics. Additionally, when a roller hockey puck strikes the protective board system, the roller hockey puck tends to rebound in unpredictable trajectories. The sport of roller hockey has technologically progressed and the players demand better equipment as the level of game play increases.
As might be expected, the art is replete with potential solutions to these problems. There are a wide variety of different design changes that have been proposed to provide a puck which glides more smoothly over paved surfaces. The art is focused on four different approaches to providing a roller hockey puck capable of gliding more smoothly over a paved surface. These four approaches are: (1) the use of a material having a lower coefficient of friction; (2) the use of spherical rollers or balls extending above the opposing faces of the puck; (3) the use of small "runners" which extend above the opposing spaces of the puck, the runners being made of material having a low coefficient of friction; and (4) the use of larger area surfaces located on the opposing faces of the puck.
In the past, various patents have issued with respect to roller hockey pucks. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,274, issued on Jan. 9, 1996, to A. R. Bellehumeur, describes a roller hockey puck having recessed runners. This roller hockey puck has at least three runners extending above and below its upper and lower faces. The runners have a head which is retained partially in the recess of the puck. The recess supports the head and reduces the tendency of it to break. The first set of runners extends above and below the upper and lower faces of the puck while a second set of runners is positioned closer to the upper and lower faces than the first runners.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,923, issued on Oct. 20, 1996, to Kahn et al., describes a roller hockey puck having a puck body of circular cylindrical configuration with a minimum of three multi-directional roller wheel assemblies which are mounted in symmetrical equiangular relationship around the puck center. Each wheel assembly includes a cylindrical wheel support body mounted for rotation on a central main axle parallel to the planar slide surfaces of the puck. Each wheel assembly includes at least one set of wheels journaled for rotation on its own individual axle mounted in a plane perpendicular to the main axle of the wheel assembly. The plurality of wheel assemblies allow a rolling action of at least one of the wheels whenever a force is applied to the puck with a force component parallel to the plane of the playing surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,213, issued on Mar. 31, 1998, to M. Colarusso, describes a roller hockey puck which exhibits minimized coefficients of friction and is able to more freely roll on an irregular surface. This roller hockey puck includes a spherical roller which is supported by an array of bearings located in the puck body. The spherical roller extends slightly above the opposing faces of the puck body to minimize friction as the roller hockey puck glides on a paved surface. Annular arrays of runners are located on and extend out from each of the opposing faces of the roller hockey puck to stabilize the roller hockey puck as it glides on the paved surface.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a superior roller hockey puck for playing the sport of roller hockey on a wide variety of playing surfaces.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a lubricated low friction roller hockey puck of official ice hockey size and weight which incorporates a means to assist the roller hockey puck in maintaining stability regardless of trajectory.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a roller hockey puck which has improved aerodynamic flight characteristics.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a roller hockey puck which is easy to use, relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.